Saturday, September 18, 2004

Freedom of the press for those who own one

The Independent's John Lichfield worries about the independence of the French press with the takeover of Le Figaro.
M. Dassault's takeover of Le Figaro has raised fears that the French press is falling under the control of the political-military-industrial establishment. The Lagardère group, formerly Matra and a shareholder in European Airbus, already owns the Hachette empire. It is also the biggest book publisher, book distributor and newsagent. With Dassault's takeover of Socpresse, three-quarters of the press is run by two military-industrial groups, posing the question: is French press freedom about to become a "mirage"?

[Bolding mine]

No comments: